Central location is beneficial for River Valley OrthopedicsÂ? patients

October 30, 2008|By GENE STOWE Tribune Correspondent

Dr. John M. Graham, who went into practice specializing in orthopedics in 1998 near Elkhart General Hospital, moved his River Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine to Osceola in 2002, partly to be closer to St. Joseph County patients.

Â?ItÂ?s a very centralized location,Â? says practice manager Joyce Tibbs, who joined the office eight years ago. Â?HeÂ?s on staff at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center and also at Elkhart General.

Â?We felt a central location between Mishawaka and Elkhart would make it more convenient for people from both areas.Â?

GrahamÂ?s roots run deep in the district.

Â?He grew up in the area and graduated from Penn High School,Â? Tibbs says. Â?His father, John K. Graham, was a general practitioner in the area for over 30 years.Â? His sister Dana Hoffman is an anesthesiologist with Great Lakes Anesthesia.

Graham has a passion for youth sports Â? heÂ?s team physician for the Penn football and rugby teams and the USA Rugby under-17 team Â? but the practice spans a wide age range.

Â?We have infants to elderly,Â? Tibbs says. Â?We have patients of all ages.Â?

The practice has four on staff. It has four patient rooms, including two casting rooms, and an X-ray room in the former bank building at Lincoln Way and County Line Road, with plenty of room to grow.

The Osteopathic Medical Foundation of Michiana named Graham the D.O. of the Year in 2006.

Aging, active baby boomers turn to him for hip replacement and knee replacement surgery. Last year, Graham was one of the first in the area to perform a new procedure called Birmingham hip resurfacing.

Â?It keeps a lot of your bone,Â? Tibbs explains. Â?It can get you back to being active faster. People inquire about it. He has done several.

Â?ThereÂ?s new things that come out all the time,Â? she says. Â?WeÂ?re going to have a lot more options than people used to (have).Â?

Contact River Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at (574) 674-6700.